Cottonwood residents -- including Citizen of the Year -- to stand trial in alleged attack

Three Cottonwood residents — including that community's Citizen of the Year — were ordered Thursday to stand trial on felony assault charges, Shasta County prosecutors said.

Those charges stem from an alleged attack upon a family of three delivering newspapers at a Main Street business last year.

Judge Adam Ryan, who presided over the preliminary hearing that included testimony and a review of video surveillance taken of the May 19 incident, ordered Jason Everett Wicks, his son Jeffrey Albert Wicks and Carrolyn Faye Barlow to stand trial on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury.

Additionally, Ryan ordered Barlow, named Cottonwood's Citizen of the Year in May, to stand trial for misdemeanor attempting to dissuade or intimidate witnesses.

They are due back in Shasta County Superior Court April 14 to set a trial date. All three have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The three were volunteers with a Cottonwood citizens watch patrol.

Authorities say the Jason and Jeffrey Wicks attacked Michael Carroll, Anthony Carroll and Vanessa Carroll as they delivered newspapers at a Main Street convenience store.

Barlow was driving on patrol with the two men but was not involved in the fight, according to a Shasta County sheriff's investigative report.

Still, that report said, a "reasonable person would presume a confrontation was imminent" based on prior similar incidents with all of those involved in the May incident.

"Serious injury occurred as a result of her collaboration," the 19-page sheriff's report says.

Jeffrey Wicks(Photo: Shasta County Sheriff's Office)

According to deputies, there's apparently been "some history" between the Wicks and the Carroll families. In the early morning of May 19, words were exchanged by Jason Wicks and his son toward Anthony Carroll, who made an obscene hand gesture to them.

A fight broke out, and Anthony Carroll and his father were struck in the head with a flashlight.

According to the sheriff's report, Jason Wicks told deputies he was attacked by Anthony and Michael Carroll for no reason while he was doing a patrol check at the business.

"He defended himself by striking Michael Carroll with closed fists only and kicked Michael Carroll in the head while he (Carroll) was down on the ground," the sheriff's report said. "He repeatedly denied striking anyone with his flashlight. He kicked Michael Carroll in the head in self-defense and intending only to 'end the threat.'''

The Cottonwood Community Watch is a volunteer citizens patrol unaffiliated with any law enforcement agency. The non-uniformed residents randomly patrol the Cottonwood area in their personal vehicles.